keeping pondcoat/zavlar black

[the_deeb]

I want to use liquid rubber / pond coat to waterproof my tank but I want the background to be black, not the brown color that PC turns over time. One idea I had was to stick a very thin (~1/8"?) piece of black acrylic to the back wall over the final coating of PC, but then I thought why not just use a piece of clear acrylic (more easily available from HD/Lowes)? Presumably the PC under the acrylic will not come into contact with the water and will therefore stay black.

Thoughts?

 

[BadOleRoss]

Have a tank sealing with LR, it sounds like it will work if you can keep the LR dry. However, if you are going to be placing acrylic in the tank why not just paint the back of the acrylic with black krylon spray paint so you not have to worry about the LR staying dry.

 

[the_deeb]

I wasn't sure if the krylon would interfere with adhesion of the acrylic to the PC.

 

[MFK2009]

I have not confirmed this with a full tank of water but for what its worth.

I've noted having painted LR on to a piece of acrylic, drying it in the SUN between coats for a few hours. Then dropped it in a bucket of water, after 3 months the LR on this piece is still as black as the day I dropped it into bucket. As a further test to this phenomenon took the stir stick I was using in LR bucket, dried it in SUN and dropped in bucket of water and its still black a month latter. I have done the stir stick experiment before with air drying only and it turned brown after a few days.

As I have dried each coat of LR on my tank build in the SUN I'm hoping to retain that black color, should know in 3 or 4 months at the pace I'm going.

LR dries differently in the SUN, build your tank where you can roll it in front of a window, or open garage door to get the sun on it.

 

[Conner]

Well, if nothing else you could simply spray paint over the liquid rubber with Krylon Fusion spray paint.

 

[Conner]

Or you could embed black sand or gravel into the final wet layer of liquid rubber.

 

[nolapete]

You can topcoat it with water proof acrylic. Check with liquidrubber.ca or permadri.com in the US.

 

[the_deeb]

MFK2009 - that's very interesting. I look forward to hearing your long-term results.

Well, if nothing else you could simply spray paint over the liquid rubber with Krylon Fusion spray paint.

This would be an easy solution. Will krylon fusion adhere to the liquid rubber? Does it have the potential to damage it or compromise the waterproofing?

 

[Conner]

This would be an easy solution. Will krylon fusion adhere to the liquid rubber? Does it have the potential to damage it or compromise the waterproofing?

I think as long as you wait until after the liquid rubber has finished curing, then there shouldn't be an issue. But I would do what Pete says and contact the liquid rubber people to ask them for advice.